Streak along the Tuck for a good cause

The annual Smoky Streak run will be held Saturday, Oct. 6, along the Tuckasegee River in Sylva to raise money for mammograms for women who otherwise couldn’t afford them.

Both the 5K and 10K run will start and finish at Webster Baptist Church. Both races are out-and-back courses, starting and finishing at the church. A short, sharp ascent and then descent will begin and end the race course. The middle section is a gentle, rolling course along the river. The bridge over the Tuckasegee River near the start line provides a great view of the race for spectators.

This race will raise funds to pay for mammograms for underserved, qualifying women. It is put on by MedWest-Harris, MedWest-Swain, the MedWest-Harris & Swain Foundation, and the Jackson County Department of Public Health. The funds the 2011 Smoky Streak run generated helped pay for 86 mammograms for local women in need, but those funds ran out in February. The Jackson County Department of Public Health has since then been able to help more than 80 additional women get mammograms.